Omaha daily bee., 1887-10-12

the Guion line OF steamer, vas on board the
wrecked train, but escaped uninjured ''The
first we who were in the sleeping car knew OF
the accident" said Mr.. Cramer, 'our coach
was run into from the rear The forward
coaches, it seems, were telescoped by
the shock. There were only seven pas
sengers, think in the sleeper
and none of them were killed or injured. |
was asleep when the shock occurred l
dressed myself and when l got out to the
wreck | saw the whole train was ablaze.
Many who were killed or seriously wounded
must have been burned up, as the fire broke
out as soon as the accident occurred. The
train men did what they could to relieve the
wounded but facilities were lacking and
many people doubtless perised in the flames
because no help could reach them"
A Graphic Account.
KouTs Ind, Oct. 11-[Press. The worst
horrors of Chatsworth were duplicated here
to-day. Dozens of blood stained, smoke-be-
grimed dead and dying men, women and
children, victims of railroad carelessness and
laundering, Uttered the village station house
this morning and this afternoon. Nine
charred corpscs of victims were laid upon the
station platform, in the hote1 and every other
available resting place in the vicinity, while
three miles west down the track Of the Chi
cago & Atlantic railway, near lonely water
tank piles Of fearfully tangled debris
mark the spot where collision
seldom equaled for terrible results occurred
According to the best estimates obtainable-
for only ap estimate is obtainable-fully
thirty human lives have been sacrificed
outright and half that number suffered
injuries more or less serious. The
east bound express that left Chicago
last night with great load of passengers,
had, withouta moments warning, during o
temporary wait, been smashed into from be-
hind by heavily loaded fast freight plung-
ing madly forward in the darkness, bent on
beating all competition in hurrying dressed
meat to the markets Of the seaboard Some
part of the machinery of the passenger en-
gine had been thrown out of order during the
run from Chicago. A trifling stop at the
water tank would make all right, it was
thought, and a stop was accordingly made.
Suddenly out of the darkness behind
came the flash of a headlight the
rush and rattle of many wheels,
and then q mighty crash, just as at Chats
worth. The sleeping coach now got in its
deadly work. The massive frame work of
| the sleeper was transformed into huge cata-
pault, and pushed mercilessly forward by the
| freight train it crushed into the cars forward,
smashing their comparatively light timbers
| and making the work of destruction complete.
| The wreck quickly took fire. and the sight of
| the shrieking victims and dancing flames was
| one never to be forgotten.
THE ENGINEERS STORY.
To-day on his bed of agony at the little
| hotel of Kouts the.engineer of the passenger
| train told the following story of the terrible
| disaster: 1--WE passed No. 40 at Boone
Grove on time and started toward Koutz.
No. 40 pulled out of the station less than two
| minutes behind us when they should have
| waited much longer When we were well
away from town we could see her lights but
| little way behind. Wewere not moving very
| fast because the engine was broken ON one
| side. We had broken an eccentric strap and
We're running but one pair of wheels, having
| been forced to disconnect the other pair Of
| wheels, which We're running loose
| OF course the accident held our speed down
a little but we had no idea that the engineer
| ing off from our heels. The last time |
| looked behind there was ample room between
| us. We stopped at the Boone Grove water
tank and were there almost minute before
| they struck u.s."
| HEARTRENDING SCENES.
| William Goghyan, conductor of a Chicago,
| st. Louis < Pittsburg construction train work
| ing between Kouts and Hebron a small station
ten miles west of Hebron. saw something of
| the results of the accident. This cOnstruc-
tion train runs into Kouts every evening with
| its load of tired workmen and the conductor
sleeps in the one little hotel Of which the
| town boasts. He was awakened at O'Clock
this morning to take out the Wabash train
that had been delayed by the wreck. Upon
| going down stairs in the hall he found all
confusion in the little parlor boy of some
| fifteen years of age was stretched upon the
floor literally mangled and torn to pieces,
to speak in whispers to those who
asked him about the accident. In d
room off the parlor another boy was
lying with serious bruises about
the head In one of the upper rooms he
learned that the engineer of the wrecked
meat train was lying at the point Of death
So hideous We're these sights and so piteous
| were the cries of anguish to be heard on al
Sides that the sturdy conductor could eat
nothing and hurried to his duties, glad tc
escape such u scene.
In the little sitting room of the cottage
which serves as hotel in this town two OF
the WOUND ed survivors of the accident still
remain late this afternoon. Herman Miller
a Bohemian boy on his way from Dundee
ILL.,, to the old country, is stretched on
lounge in the low dark room His head il
fearfully battered and his right leg
is fractured. The other wounded mar
is Joseph McCoos, bartender O
Boston, whose injuries are mostly interna
and are not so severe but that his recovery i:
possible. He was able to tell of the accident
as follows: g! was passenger in the coact
to the last car in the train. just before mid
night went to the smoker, which was iG.ss
ahead of our car, and 'chattau To-
an hour with young man wh'
sat down near me. That was tn,
last I've seen or expect to see o
the poor fellow. Just as had stretched my
self out tG go to sleep and almost before
closea my eyes, there was an awful, un
earthly crash, which, God help me, nevc
want to hear again. / could feel mysel
thrown violently toward the top of the ca
and then became insensble On waking NJ
realized that all was confusion in the car
that canes, valises, rods o. iron and lamp
were in the air about me. / must have re
gained my consciousness in very short time
for when awoke all was darkness and tn,
horrible shrieks and piercing wall
| of agony almost deafenod my ears
In the end of the car furthest from me til
stove was overturned and the flames wer
Just starting to spread with magic rapidity
There was some sort of new gas lamp in tn
car and the reservoirs reaching fror
one to tho other the flame
leaped up the sides and in less tim
than can tell it the gas was burning tn
whole length of the coach over our heads
was wedged between two seats where
couldn't move limb of my body and ther
watched the fire slowly creep upon me.
; | was Il terrible sight. In the end of the coac
!, | near the fire could see lady caught be